Cumnock population figures show fall of 20,000 since 1960s

From a total of more than 53,000 in the 1960s, when the area was at the peak of its time as a powerhouse of the Scottish coal mining industry, the figure at the last census in 2022 was just 33,500.

And shock figures reported to East Ayrshire Council earlier this year predict that that figure will drop by a further 7 per cent by 2028.

Over the next few weeks, the Chronicle will be setting out on a ‘deep dive’ into the challenges facing the area, the reasons for its struggles up till now and, importantly, the efforts being made, in public and behind the scenes, to make it a success story once again.

We’ll be speaking to residents, business owners, school pupils, politicians, community groups and others to build up a picture of our communities, the work that’s being done to make them more attractive to young people and families in the future, and what Cumnock and the Doon Valley still has to offer, and will offer in the future.

THE story of population decline in Cumnock and the Doon Valley is inextricably linked with the fate of the coal mines in the area that once employed thousands of people.

Way back in 1981, the number of people living in what was then the Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council area stood at 45,260.

Ten years later, at the first census carried out following the closure of the last two deep coal mines in the area, at Barony and Killoch, and the loss of the hundreds of jobs that went with them, that figure stood at only 38,011.

The Barony colliery was the last deep mine in Ayrshire to close. (Image: Cumnock History Group)

Since then the numbers have continued to drop. Detailed figures from the UK-wide census, carried out every 10 years, show that across the 13 communities in Cumnock and the Doon Valley, the total population has fallen by more than one in 10 – 11.69 per cent, to be exact – since 1991.

Those 13 communities are, in alphabetical order, Auchinleck, Bellsbank, Catrine, Cumnock, Dalmellington/Burnton, Dalrymple, Drongan, Logan, Mauchline, Muirkirk, New Cumnock, Ochiltree and Patna.

Drilling down into the data for each of those communities, the decline in some areas is even steeper.

In New Cumnock the population has dropped by 33 per cent, or one in three, since 1991, from 3,968 residents to just 2,641.

In Bellsbank, the decline is even steeper at 36.5 per cent, from 2,041 residents to 1,295.

And the fall is biggest of all in Logan, where the number of residents has dropped from 1,523 to only 958.

Cumnock's population has fallen by more than 8 per cent in the last 40 years. (Image: Charlie Gilmour)

Of course, that means that in some communities numbers have gone up. Drongan’s population, for example, has risen by 5.8 per cent. In Dalrymple there’s been an increase of 23 per cent, nearly one in four.

And Ochiltree’s population has increased by a remarkable 30 per cent, though the numbers there are small, with an increase from 758 residents to 992.

But overall the picture is one of decline. In Cumnock itself the population is down by 8.1 per cent in the last 40 years. In Dalmellington, it’s 7.1 per cent. In Auchinleck, 10.5 per cent. In Muirkirk, 28 per cent.

The governance and scrutiny committee at East Ayrshire Council (EAC) heard in April that the population of the area’s  ‘southern locality’ is expected to drop by an average of 7 per cent by 2028.

That’s in stark contrast to the northern areas of the authority. The Annick ward, for example, with its main town of Stewarton, is looking at an overall population increase of 13 per cent by 2028, helped by its growing status as a Glasgow commuter town, close to the M77 and with a frequent train service to and from the city.

But the picture when you look south of Kilmarnock is very different. That EAC report in April warned that “we must aim to address the issue of population decline and recognise the value of our vibrant communities and their economic contributions to Scotland’s prosperity and cultural diversity”.

The extension of the M77 has opened up new economic opportunities for the northern part of East Ayrshire - but the picture south of Kilmarnock is very different. (Image: Google Street View)

The report’s author added: “As a council, we should be aware that population decline can have an adverse effect on community confidence and service sustainability, and poses an increase in the vulnerability of communities both now and in the long term.

“It also creates many risk implications in relation to community participation, transportation and connectivity, social isolation, poverty, as well as accessibility issues surrounding jobs, housing, and education.”

But there’s no shortage of ideas for turning that trend around.

EAC has set aside £40 million to spend over the next 10 years regenerating the area, even though its resources overall are dwindling, and chief executive Eddie Fraser says it’s vital that the right decisions are made so the area gets maximum bang for its buck.

"The council's resources are shrinking significantly,” Mr Fraser said, “so what we're able to do is going to become less, but we're still getting a lot of money, and it's about how we invest that."

Councillor Jim McMahon says Cumnock and the Doon Valley is an attractive area with great potential. (Image: East Ayrshire Council)

And Cumnock and New Cumnock councillor Jim McMahon, who was one of the striking miners who fought, without success, to save the coal industry in the area in the 1980s, says the area’s affordability is a key asset.

"Cumnock is one of the cheapest places to live in the UK,” he said.

“The houses are selling when they are built.

"It is an attractive area with great potential for the future."